coneflower

coneflower, name for several American wildflowers of the family Asteraceae ( aster family). The purple coneflowers (genus Echinacea ), found E of the Rockies, have purple to pinkish petallike rays some cultivated forms have white flowers. The herb echinacea , derived from the purple coneflower, is taken for colds and other ailments the plant was used medicinally by Native Americans. Other coneflowers include the yellow coneflowers, or rudbeckias (see black-eyed Susan ), and the praire coneflowers (genus Ratibida ), which have yellow or purplish rays. Many species are grown as garden plants. Coneflowers are classified in the division Magnoliophyta , class Magnoliopsida, order Asterales, family Asteraceae.